Incoming: A History of the U.S. Income Tax

President Lincoln enacted the first income tax to help fund the Civil War. The rates: 3% on incomes between $600 to $10,000, and 5% on incomes above $10,000.

That factoid comes from a handy infographic produced by tax-preparation software company TurboTax on the history of the U.S. income tax. Among the other interesting tidbits in this capsule timeline, which details to top rate every year since 1913: LBJ was a tax cutter (he lowered the top rate to 77% from the infamous 91%).

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